Petition begun to rename Reagan Airport after Tim Howard

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard makes a save during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Belgium at the World Cup in Salvador, Brazil.

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard makes a save during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Belgium at the World Cup in Salvador, Brazil. (Guillaume Horcajuelo / EPA)

Ryan Parker

U.S. Team fans want to honor Tim Howard with airport rename in Washington

Tim Howard may very well be the most popular man in America at this moment. So much so, an official White House petition was started Tuesday night to rename the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after Howard -- seriously.

Although the U.S. men’s national soccer team was defeated by Belgium 2- 1 in the knockout round Tuesday afternoon, goalie Tim Howard emerged a national icon for his amazing work between the posts.

Fans created a petition on the White House website asking that Reagan Airport be renamed after Howard.

“We politely request that we rename the airport to recognize his accomplishments, and meritorious service to the United States of America,” the petition states.

Anyone can post a petition on the "We the People" site, launched by the White House. If a petition gets 100,000 signatures, the administration will respond.

Previously, it only took 25,000 signatures for an official response, but that number was increased after a 2013 petition to build a Death Star -- the planet-destroying space structure from “Star Wars” -- gained enough signatures that it had to be officially addressed.

The bald-headed, black-bearded Howard had a record-setting day with 16 saves, the most recorded a World Cup game since FIFA starting taking track of that statistic.

After the game, an emotional Howard said the Americans played their hearts out.

“The dream fell short, but this is an incredible group, and we’ll never forget this night,” he said.